One special day
by Garasu
Summary: After a bad dream, Ayeka reflects on her relationships, past and present.


Onespecialday **** __

Disclaimer: I, Garasu, do not own or claim to own any of the characters mentioned in the following story. All characters and technologies used are the intellectual property of AIC and Pioneer and are used without the permission of either corporation. 

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One Special Day 

Author: Garasu

"Someday, I will be your bride, won't I Yosho?" Ayeka asked, comfortably resting in the arms of her love.

"Someday, when you're older," the older man agreed, looking far away with a troubled expression reflected on his face. It wasn't really fair to tell her now, he reasoned. It was far better to wait until she was older, and could understand why he had to leave the planet, never to return.

But the young princess in his arms did not notice his troubled expression, thankfully. Ayeka smiled and laid her head against Yosho's chest. She knew it would be a while before the wedding could even take place; after all, she was only eight years old. But that didn't matter much in the long run. Ayeka was genuinely happy to be marrying her Yosho, she knew she could be patient and wait until the handfasting ritual could begin. The young violet tressed princess sighed happily.

Yosho's chest suddenly became very hard and rough. Ayeka opened her eyes in surprise and felt with her hands the place where Yosho used to be. It was now the bark of a tree, and she was wearily leaning against it, watching the grand Capital City of Jurai go up in flames.

Heat surrounded her in all directions and ash choked her breathing, but through it all, Ayeka was frantically searching for someone, trying her best to ignore the burning in her throat.

"Yosho?! Yosho where are you, Yosho?" Ayeka yelled, trying to make herself heard over the general turmoil of the city streets.

Finally, she saw him standing in a small clearing. He had soot and blood mixed across his face, and the expression he wore was the most deadly she had ever seen.

"Demon!" he yelled, watching a shadowy figure laughing at the chaos below her. "You will pay for this with your life!"

Heedless of the danger, Yosho ran after the fleeing figure transferring to his own ship when the demoness began to escape the atmosphere in her own.

"Take me with you, Yosho! Please take me with you!" Ayeka tried to follow Yosho through the flames, but was blocked by the sudden backwash of energy from Funaho, Yosho's ship.

"Don't leave me alone," Ayeka whispered after the disappearing vessel, reaching for it with her hand. Willing for the ship to return.

Everything around Ayeka slowly faded from view, the sights and the sounds disappeared in favor of the black mist that rose around the princess and enveloped her within itself. Finally, after holding her breath for as long as she could, Ayeka passed out letting the sweet unconsciousness overtake her body.

When Ayeka awoke, she was still surrounded by the black void. Though this time, she could breathe at least. In the distance, she could see a figure standing alone. She knew the figure very well; the brown work tunic snuggly caressing his shoulders, the close cropped black hair that had a small ponytail extending to the base of his neck. Although she could not see the stranger's face, she knew what she would find once he turned around.

"Tenchi? Tenchi please, help me." She begged, willing herself closer to the figure. Desperately, she tried to get his attention, trying to turn him around so she could see the kind brown eyes that always held a smile for her. Tenchi would understand her feelings, he would hold her, and make everything better with just a simple touch.

Finally, after what was seemingly an eternity, Tenchi turned around and looked at her.

"Ayeka? What are you doing here?" he asked, the smile she was so desperately seeking not making itself apparent on his features.

Ayeka stopped when she saw his face, he had never quite looked at her like that before. It was a strange mix of sadness with an undercurrent of joy that she couldn't quite place.

"Tenchi, please I love you, I need you. Help me, I don't want to be left alone." Ayeka allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulders, trying to draw all the comfort she could from him. She was shocked to feel herself being removed from his shoulder and held at arms length, a disgusted expression on his face. 

"Ayeka, you need to grow up. Always with you childish wants and needs. When will you ever realize that I cannot love you? I love Ryoko, and I have no room in my heart for you." With the final word, Tenchi disappeared forcing Ayeka to her knees when the center of her balance was suddenly changed.

For a long moment, Ayeka kneeled there, slowly letting her tears leak into the black void around her. Tenchi's words echoing over and over in her head until she could no longer stand it anymore. Ayeka bent until her forehead touched the cold ground then she let out a scream that instantly turned her throat raw, and made her ears ring with from the pain.

"Tenchi!!" Ayeka suddenly sat up and frantically looked around her. She was sitting in her old room at the Masaki house. The familiar plaster and wood filling her vision instead of that horrible black void.

Ayeka took a deep breath and clutched the covers of her futon closer to her chest, trying her hardest to slow her racing heart.

"So real," the princess whispered, running a hand through her sweat-soaked violet hair. Sometime during her nightmare, the bindings of her hair ties came undone and allowed the purple lengths to flow freely around her. Slowly she chewed on the fingernails of her other hand, nervously trying to figure out what her nightmare could have possibly meant. Was it just a silly nightmare, or did it have some message for her?

Ayeka sighed to herself and glanced at the sleeping form of her little sister next to her. Sasami should be waking up soon, as the little princess never seemed to sleep past dawn. Ayeka turned towards the small chronograph next to her bed, it read 6AM, that should give plenty of time for a quick bath before the rest of the household awoke.

Ayeka rose from her bed and sauntered over to the small closet where most of the Juraian's clothing was stored. There, she gathered the small collection of bathing items and a spare towel along with her change of clothes for the day.

Once adequately prepared, she stepped from her room out into the silent hall. The house, as expected, was dark at this time of day. No one would be up at this time of the day with the possible exception of Washu; the diminutive scientist never seemed to sleep.

The outside air was cool on Ayeka's skin as she stepped out of the house and made her way to the large floating structure that was the family onsen. After a brief walk through the ankle height grass, in which Ayeka was certainly glad she thought to wear the higher topped walking slippers rather than her sandals, she arrived at the teleportation pad that would bring her to the platform entrance of the bath.

Upon entering, Ayeka stripped the sweaty bedclothes from her body and stepped into the soothingly warm waters. In the time since this onsen first appeared, she had gotten quite used to the idea of a nice warm bath in the morning. Even if Ryoko designed it, it certainly was a handy thing to have around. Though Ayeka supposed that some of the functions the demoness had planned into this structure could have been left out.

The subtropical onsen was actually a myriad of interconnected pools and waterfalls that met in secluded spots rather than one large bathing pool. Ayeka had no doubt in her mind as to what the secluded spots were intended for, considering Ryoko's dirty mind. She shivered and blushed at the unbidden though of ever using the small alcoves. Something like that would never happen in her lifetime.

Ayeka breathed deeply and slid her head under the surface of the water, then surfaced quickly. Her hair had always required a lot of maintenance, but it was a task that she never minded. It gave her time to reflect on certain things, and also gave her a time during the day in which she usually was alone.

During this session, Ayeka knew she would have plenty to think about. Ever since she had awoken, the dream's images had haunted her; so while she slowly brushed her hair, removing any knots that might have accumulated during the night, she slowly went over the dream in her mind.

The first portion of the dream wasn't new to her. She had had those images flash through her head many times since the disappearance of Yosho. But this was the first time, that the images had been so real, She felt that she could have at any time reached out and touched Yosho, or the tree and think that it was actually there in front of her. She had actually felt the fire upon her face and the hot ash burning her eyes. It was almost as if she was back on Jurai that fateful day Ryoko had attacked.

When Ryoko had attacked, not only had it totally surprised the entire Jurai military, but it had shocked the Emperor and his family as well. It was the first time that anyone, military or no, had managed to get by the Jurai planetary defense system in over ten thousand years. When she did get by, Ryoko didn't just destroy a few buildings either; she nearly razed the entire capital city to the ground. As a result, the reconstruction once she had left took decades. This was not including the scores of families that had been affected by the tragic loss of their loved ones in the fighting.

Ayeka closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer for the fallen guardians of the planet. Even now, more than seven hundred years later, the ripples created by that attack still showed their mark upon Juraian society. When she really considered it, Ayeka had never thought she'd be able to forgive that monster for what she had done to her people; but there were so many things that she knew now that were not known at the time. Besides, if anyone was rightfully inclined to be mad at Ryoko, it was Sasami. After all she had nearly died during the pirate's incursion.

Fortunately, Sasami was never the type of person to hold a grudge and had never even said an unkind word to Ryoko since she had found out through Tsunami. Sasami knew, as Ayeka now knew, that there were persons much more worthy of her hate for attacking her beloved home.

Those thoughts led Ayeka to shiver to herself despite the warm waters. When Kagato had appeared before them, he had brought with him information that Ayeka had alternately not wanted and yet desperately needed to know. The discovery of her brother in the kind man that was Tenchi's grandfather had been a shock of monumental proportions. Everything that she had felt previously for the older Juraian suddenly tried to flood through her mind once again, warring at times with her new found affection for Tenchi.

Ayeka sighed at the mere whisper of his name. She felt guilty for trying to convince him not to go after Ryoko, but she couldn't help it at the time. The space pirate, she knew, could handle herself in many situations. Kagato, however, was different. He knew the power behind Ryoko's gems and how to control them essentially controlling Ryoko along with them. Ayeka, at that time feared more for Tenchi's safety than anything else, but there was no convincing him, she also liked to think that he would do the same thing for her. Still, a man who could control Ryoko was not a man to be trifled with, but Tenchi was too kind to let that stop him. It was that kindness and sense of responsibility that in the end nearly killed him.

Ayeka held no illusions about that moment when she knew that Tenchi had died. It was all she could do from going mad and telling Ryo-ohki to collide with Kagato's ship, perhaps doing some damage that would allow others to destroy the evil being later. However, she knew that she could not control or even direct the little cabbit ship. She was at the mercy of Ryoko, not able to do anything without the demoness but sit there presenting herself and Mihoshi as a nice target. That fact scared Ayeka to no end, more so than not being loved? The princess couldn't easily answer that question.

Ayeka then stopped combing her hair briefly and truly thought about what her dream Tenchi had said. He had said that he wasn't capable of loving her, that he had no room in his heart for her. Ayeka's ruby red orbs misted slightly at that thought.

"Is anyone willing to love me?" she asked herself. All her life she had tried to find someone who loved her for who she was, and not what she was. Before the announcement of her betrothal, she had been surrounded daily by young nobles who had sought the power and prestige of marrying the Emperor's first daughter. All of them, like her, had worn masks to hide their true personalities; but theirs were not like the one she put upon herself. The young nobles' masks only slightly concealed their burning desire for power and Ayeka saw through them immediately, every time.

Yosho was the first person she had ever felt comfortable enough to talk to. He was the only one who had seen Ayeka without the mask she wore and he had rejected it. She knew, of course, that he was right when he had said they would have led to conflict over the throne; but that didn't make his rejection hurt any less. If Yosho had rejected her true personality, then what reason would Tenchi have to accept it? Ayeka had no answer to that particular question either.

She knew she loved the young earthling, that much was certain. He had seen even more of her than Yosho had seen and she couldn't help falling for his sweet kindness. Yet he still had not made it clear whom he loved between herself and Ryoko. He had not even told her that he had cared for her. No, Ayeka supposed that was wrong. Tenchi had told her that he had cared for her greatly many times, but only through his actions. It was just never in the medium that Ayeka desperately wanted: verbal.

Ayeka sighed again, then washed her hair quickly. It really wouldn't do her skin good to sit here all day and soak, and she had many thing in which she needed to do today.

With that in mind, the young princess rose from the comfortable water and began to dry herself off and get dressed.

"Besides," she thought to herself. "There will most certainly be plenty of time to reflect during chores as well." 

With that in mind, Ayeka left the onsen and began to return home.

When Ayeka stepped through the door, the smell of breakfast cooking overwhelmed her. In all her musings, she had quite forgotten that she was very hungry on top of everything else. She smiled lightly when she stepped into the kitchen and beheld the sight in front of her.

Sasami, with her long blue hair carefully pulled back so as not to affect her work, was diligently running from one side of the room to the next, trying to keep all the different foods from overcooking. When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned quickly and her face brightened instantly.

"Ayeka! Good morning." She called out, sparing a brief moment to run over and hug her older sister.

"I was worried when I didn't see you still in bed when I woke up. Is anything wrong?"

Ayeka smiled demurely at Sasami and shook her head.

"No Sasami, nothing is wrong. You know how I am sometimes, I wake up and then I can't back to sleep. So when that happened this morning, I just thought I'd get an early start to my day." A slight lie, Ayeka thought to herself, but she really didn't feel like explaining everything to her sister. Not until she had at least figured some of it out on her own at least.

Sasami nodded, then turned back to her cooking.

"Tenchi should be up soon, and so should father. Breakfast will be ready any moment now."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ayeka asked, supremely uncomfortable about letting the younger princess do all the work.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Could you set the table for me? I can't get away right now." Sasami asked, still paying astute attention to the task she was finishing.

As Ayeka set the various utensils on the low table in the common room, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see who it was. Her face brightened instantly on recognizing the features, and she felt her heartbeat begin to quicken.

"Good morning, Tenchi-sama." She said softly, still remembering what he had said in her dream. Ayeka knew that this Tenchi would never say anything like that, but still, she couldn't help feeling timid.

"Hunh?" Tenchi turned, and smiled when he recognized who had spoken to him.

"Good Morning, Ayeka-san," he replied. "Did you sleep well?"

A brief shadow crossed over Ayeka's face before quickly being replaced by her usual shy smile.

"Yes, Tenchi-sama, I did. How did the night find you?"

"Oh you know, the usual." Tenchi scratched the back of his neck, subconsciously. He had noticed that brief second where Ayeka's face showed something other than her usual reserved expression and wondered at it. Was something wrong with her? But before he could ask about what he saw, Sasami came into the room and announced that breakfast was ready.

The word breakfast usually served to bring everyone directly to the table no matter where they previously were, and this time was no different. Tenchi sighed to himself and followed the rest of the group to eat, mentally reminding himself to ask about that later.

It was not until after breakfast and the girls began their various daily chores that Tenchi found the chance to talk quietly with Ayeka.

The Juraian Princess had drawn the floors and laundry today as her chores, so when Tenchi finally caught up with her, she was already beginning to sweep the entrance hall. Engrossed in making the floor as perfectly swept as she could, Ayeka did not register Tenchi's approach until he had placed a hand on her shoulder and lightly called her name.

"Ayeka?" Tenchi called softly, not wishing to scare her. In his experience, coming up behind any one of the women who lived in this household was a dangerous prospect unless identified before hand. Making mistakes like not saying anything was how people got seriously injured.

"Hunh?" Ayeka turned quickly, still not quite registering that it was indeed Tenchi behind her, clutching the broom handle to her chest tightly. She instantly relaxed when she visually confirmed whom it was that called her name.

"Oh Tenchi. It's you." Ayeka had been very distracted with her thoughts since her dream. It had seemed like she just could not get anything done without some stray image returning to the forefront of her mind.

Then, as her surroundings began to re-orient themselves, Ayeka noticed that it was indeed Tenchi, and he had his hand on her shoulder still. Staring at that particular spot she suddenly felt very hot and her heart rate doubled in an instant as a furious blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Y-yes Tenchi? Was there s-something you n-needed?" Oh damn this stupid tongue, why wouldn't it do what she wanted when he was around?

Tenchi all the while had been watching her reaction, and returned her blush. Shyly removing his hand from her shoulder and sticking it behind his back self-consciously.

"Umm, I just wanted to see if there was anything bothering you, that's all." He replied, trying to look her in the eyes but failing miserably.

At her curious expression he explained further.

"You see, you kind of looked distracted this morning, like something was really bothering you. I saw this weird expression on your face for an instant when I asked you how you slept, you see. I thought something might be wrong?" The last bit he finished in a rush, and with a slight question, inviting Ayeka to answer it.

Ayeka visibly debated something in her mind before answering Tenchi's question with a smile and shake of her head.

"No, Tenchi-sama, nothing is wrong. I suppose I'm just a little tired this morning as I woke up fairly early." Ayeka poured all her strength into making her smile genuine. She just wasn't ready to tell Tenchi about her dream yet, couldn't tell him in fact. It just contained too many private feelings that deeply concerned him that she would rather him not know about. Especially if he rejected them, like Yosho had once done.

Tenchi sighed. That was not exactly the answer he was looking for; but then, he should have expected it. Trying to draw Ayeka from behind her mask was an extremely difficult task. Maybe in some sense more difficult than cracking Ryoko's shell. 

Tenchi sighed again before speaking to Ayeka once more.

"Alright Ayeka. But I just wanted you to know that anytime you want to talk, I'm willing to listen alright?" Tenchi really didn't want to go right now, but he knew this was about as far as he was going to get during this session. At least she knew that he would be willing to listen, that was the important thing. Hopefully the princess would take him up on the offer later.

"Thank you, Tenchi. I understand." Ayeka turned back to her sweeping, letting the young earthling to attend to his duties in the vegetable fields.

When Ayeka confirmed that Tenchi was truly out of her sight, she breathed heavily and leaned on the handle of her broom for support. That was harder than she had imagined it would be. She really felt dirty for lying to his face like that, but really, what could she do? Break down and confess everything to him right there on the spot? Ayeka knew better than to do that.

Ayeka straightened with a sudden thought. Tenchi was always very nice to her. He was always willing to listen when she had a problem, she knew that from experience. Would he consider her feelings childish? Or would he once again repeat the performance that fateful afternoon in the shed and cheer her up? 

Ayeka thought about that afternoon, at the same time beginning her sweeping again. That afternoon was when she truly realized that she loved him. Before, when they first met in her spaceship, her attraction was just a stray thought that passed through her head like a leaf tossed in the wind. She had been able to easily push that thought aside. Then, when they spent that time together, it was like she had unlocked some strange door within herself and everything that she had built up during the previous week made itself blatantly apparent. Ayeka shivered with the memory of her skin touching his. It was so warm and soft, so comforting that she could spend hours reveling in the experience. Yes, when they had touched, that brief moment in time single handedly relegated Yosho to the background of her mind. Until the day Kagato came.

When she learned that Yosho had been before her all along, and not said a word, the first feeling that came to her mind was anger. But then when she saw his eyes, and images of him from the past, something briefly bubbled to the surface. Ayeka knew that she loved Yosho as only a little girl could towards someone that was kind to her. He had always been the kind of person that you could talk to about anything, but unlike her reaction to Tenchi, her feelings for the young earthling did not go away. There was no doubt from that moment on that Tenchi was whom she wanted to love and be loved. Yosho was her dear, sweet first love, but Tenchi was her first True Love. Now more than anything, she wished she could tell him that.

Ayeka sighed again and finished her sweeping quickly. Thoughts like those tended to lead to depression, and she certainly did not want to portray anything out of the ordinary.

Once the hard floors were done being swept and washed, she had to vacuum the carpeted ones. Domestic chores were something Ayeka never really minded, and although she wished she could cook like her little sister, there was a definite gratification in seeing a once dirty room sparkling with cleanliness again. Surprisingly, cleaning the floors was her second most enjoyable chore, following sewing by some distance. Smiling with a sense of accomplishment, Ayeka was just putting the finishing touches to her and Sasami's room when her sister announced that lunch was ready.

"Sasami? Where's Tenchi?" Ayeka asked when it became apparent that the young man was not going to show up.

"Oh, he came by earlier and told me that he and grandfather were going to take their lunch at the shrine. I guess Tenchi had some things that he wanted to talk to him about." Sasami answered with a slight shrug, indicating that she did not know what the two men were going to talk about.

"Oh, okay." Ayeka replied, then quietly re-applied herself to her lunch. 

The meal was an unusually quiet affair. With Tenchi not around, it seemed as if nobody was really willing to make conversation beyond his or her immediate neighbor. Of course, with Mihoshi and Sasami talking animatedly about the last episode of their favorite television program, and Washu yawning her way through the first meal of the diminutive scientist's day, that left only Ryoko and Ayeka to talk; so naturally, conversation across the table was sparse.

After the meal was finished, Ayeka quietly dispersed with the rest of her family. Since it was Mihoshi's turn to help with the dishes, the rest of the female population had the rest of the afternoon to do whatever they wished. In the case of a certain purple-headed princess, it was to plant the new flower bulbs she had bought the other day.

Ayeka sighed happily as she stepped out into the sunlight from the tool shed. No matter how hot it was outside, she never regarded gardening as a chore. It was actually funny really, once Ayeka thought about it, she had always considered herself to be an assiduously clean person. Yet there was something deeply satisfying about digging in the soft earth. Often she would finish the day covered with sweat and dirt and feel **better** than when she started!

Two hours later, with dirt coating her hands and shoes and more than a little on her dress and work apron, Ayeka stepped back to admire her handiwork. The new tulips looked wonderful next to her small herb garden. They lent a little color to the small patch of green and balanced the morning glories on the other side. All that was needed to finish the planting was to firm the earth and water.

Ayeka slowly stepped around the outskirts of her newly planted flowers and sprinkled them generously with water, firming the earth just enough to allow the roots to take hold, yet loose enough to provide plenty of air. 

Just as she finished the firming, Ayeka noticed a brief glimpse of blue hair out of the corner of her eye and smiled softly. She turned around slowly and confirmed her suspicion that it was Sasami. The young princess often took her afternoons to either read or play with her constant companion, Ryo-ohki. Sometimes, even Ayeka would join her in a game of catch the cabbit, or if any of the other Masaki residents joined in, a game of hide and seek. 

Watching Sasami play made Ayeka's smile widen even more. It was really nice to watch one of the most responsible of the Masaki women act their own age. It really helped Ayeka to know that Sasami was not in danger of growing up too fast. 

A few more seconds of watching her younger sister run around chasing the little cabbit gave Ayeka an evil idea; already the playing princess had come close enough to her that she could spray Sasami with the water hose if it had been aimed in the right direction. Just a little patience on Ayeka's part was needed to wait for the right moment to strike, and Ayeka had plenty of patience.

Several minutes went by as Ayeka prepared herself for the assault. Sasami had already run close enough several times, but Ayeka wanted to give her sister a false sense of security and maintain her element of surprise. The moment she had waited for soon presented itself to her while she was paying false attention to watering the small rose garden.

Ryo-ohki ran by first at top speed, followed a few seconds later by a laughing Sasami. However where the second princess would have come the closest to Ayeka, she suddenly found a wall of water in front of her. Sasami was running too fast to stop or run around it and only microseconds after squeezing her eyes shut and trying to stop her forward momentum, she went through the water.

Sasami's first impression was how cold the water was, and she screeched with surprise as all her clothing instantly became soaked. Her second impression was of barely contained laughter coming from behind and to her left.

"Ayeka!?" she yelled planting her hands on her hips, trying her best to look mad.

"Why did you do that Ayeka?" she asked of her sister, who was covering her mouth with her fist and biting down on her knuckles to keep from laughing too hard.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sasami, you really should watch where you're running you know." Ayeka managed to get out between fits of giggles. It wasn't enough that the little princess was soaking wet, but Sasami's posture was totally disagreeing with her sibling's true personality. The blue haired girl just couldn't present angry without making it funny.

"Watch where I'm going?" Sasami asked, exasperated. 

At Sasami's question, Ayeka dropped all pretenses of maintaining her composure. 

"I'm sorry, Sasami, but I couldn't help it. It was just too easy." She said, holding her stomach from laughing too much as well as dropping the hose.

Sasami instantly saw her chance for revenge and snatched the hose off the ground.

"I'm going to get you back for that Ayeka!" she yelled over her older sisters laughter and aimed the hose towards her sister.

Ayeka's laughter soon changed to a shriek of surprise as she found her clothing and everything that was underneath it soaked in an instant, right down to her skin.

Now it was Sasami's turn to laugh as she looked at a sputtering Ayeka, but she only had a second because as soon as the older princess had gained her wits she was on Sasami in an instant.

"I won't lose that easily, Sasami!" she yelled, as she slowly regained possession of the water hose.

Soon, both princesses were laughing uncontrollably, barely able to hold on to the hose. Ayeka never felt more alive than when she had the chance to play with her little sister. Even if it were a silly game of chase the cabbit, she treasured the times that she and Sasami had together. More and more, the weight of responsibility settled on her shoulders and she feared that soon they would have no more time to tickle, share bedtime stories, or to just enjoy each other's company.

Ayeka shook all the depressing thoughts from her head, completely unwilling to ruin the moment with thoughts of her future and pressed all of her awareness into acting the part of a silly, normal child. Perhaps that was why she never noticed Tenchi rounding the bend, returning from an afternoon of carrot farming.

Tenchi had heard the laughter long before he came into visual range of the originators. He could recognize Sasami's high pitched peals of delight, but only wondered at the carefree rich laughter that mixed with it. He knew it must have been one of the older girls, but he had never heard any one of them use that particular tone before. 

Curious, he edged closer to the corner of the house and poked his head around. What he saw was enough of a surprise that Tenchi's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped.

Indeed, it was Sasami as he had earlier identified, but what surprised him the most was that Ayeka, along with her little sister, was soaked to the skin and laughing about it!

Tenchi edged closer to the pair; his curiosity making itself apparent in the itch that suddenly arose at the base of his neck. Sasami, he had always imagined doing something like this. After all, despite being a princess, the blue haired Juraian was still a little girl. Ayeka, however, who was always so proper and polite? Something just didn't add up in Tenchi's mind; so after a few seconds of deliberation, he purposefully strode over to where the young princesses were laughing.

"Ayeka?" he asked, loud enough to be heard over their oblivious laughter.

The response was immediate. 

Ayeka's eyes suddenly grew very large, and she the laughter died from her lips an instant later. Desperately, she tried to hide the hose behind her back, but the water just spouted vertically and landing a little to left and behind her. A fact that only served to make the scene more bizarre.

"Y-yes, T-Tenchi-sama?" Inwardly, Ayeka cursed herself for not being as articulate as she should have been. 

"Ummm, I know this may sound like a silly question, but what are you doing?" Tenchi tried his best to hide the curiosity that now took hold of every nerve in his body. It wasn't enough that the thin princess looked absolutely adorable dripping wet, but now he could faintly make out the beginning of a blush rising. What could she possibly find in this situation to blush about?

Ayeka didn't answer the question, but only cast her eyes downward, opening her mouth then closing it rapidly several times. Oh, how could she have been caught acting like such a child? Tenchi surely must think of her as some immature little girl. She glanced up quickly to gauge his facial expression and blushed even more when she spotted rapt fascination rather than veiled disgust.

Finally, after a few eternal minutes, Ayeka worked up the courage to speak.

"I- I was watering the garden you see, as I just bought some flowers. I saw Sasami run by and I, well, I kind of pointed the hose at her." Ayeka's face continued to stare at the ground, radiating shame for such a thoughtless prank, but nonetheless continued her explanation.

"Then, one thing led to another and we sort of both got really wet." Ayeka finished her story with a toe scraping the dirt, still afraid to look up in fear of what she might see.

Ayeka fully expected to be reprimanded for what she had done. It was only the most childish prank she could have possibly pulled, and to make matters worse, Tenchi, of all people should catch her in the act! Ayeka sighed longingly, at least she had fun while it lasted, and Sasami certainly did not look unhappy at her current state. Now it was up to her to take responsibility for her actions and face whatever her secret love might have to say, even though she almost certainly knew it would not be good.

Though, to her, surprise, the reprimand never came. Instead she heard a low chuckle, which caused her to look up in consternation. Was Tenchi laughing at her? Enjoying the power he held over her at this moment?

When Tenchi saw Ayeka's look of consternation he stopped chuckling and spoke as earnestly as he could.

"No, Ayeka, you did nothing wrong." He correctly guessed her reaction to being caught in that act of playing a silly game. "In fact, the reason why I was so surprised is that I've never seen you this way."

Then, under his breath, he added to himself.

"It suits you very well too."

Ayeka strained her ears to hear the last comment that Tenchi had made, but it just wasn't loud enough.

"Pardon, Tenchi-sama, but what was that last sentence?" She asked, sincerely wanting to know.

"Oh, nothing important." Tenchi quickly added, and then began backing away slowly. "I really must get going to train, grandpa really doesn't like me being late." Tenchi unconsciously rubbed the back of his head where his grandfather had last hit him for being late. 

"I'll see you two at dinner, then." He managed to get out before retreating back the way he came, not seeing the mournful look on Ayeka's face.

"Oh that's right!" Sasami yelled, slapping her forehead. "It's almost time to begin dinner!" 

With that, the little princess was off to change out of her wet clothing and begin her nightly routine. This left Ayeka standing alone, and dripping wet.

After several more minutes of staring in the general direction that Tenchi went, she sighed and began to put away the water hose and change her clothing as well. 

"At least Ryoko didn't catch me." She mumbled, very glad the demoness had gone to town to buy more sake that afternoon.

Once everything was placed on its proper shelf, and Ayeka was safely in the confines of her room, she began to wonder just what Tenchi had meant in his reaction. Could it be that he did not view her as immature? She had always strove to act a certain way in front of the earthling boy because she was too worried that he would react the same way everyone else ever had. In light of this new information, Ayeka slowly began to wonder that perhaps, just maybe Tenchi did care for her in some other fashion besides host.

Ayeka sighed happily and finished changing her clothes. She had always liked to believe that Tenchi cared for her, even perhaps loved her, but there just wasn't any direct evidence of the latter. Sure, there was the instance in the shed right after she had arrived, but that was so long ago. Since then, they had had very few moments to truly be alone together; and during those few moments, Ayeka had convinced herself that that moment just wasn't good enough to reveal her feelings for him. Besides, with his feelings unknown, she could be setting herself up for a huge rejection, and that was something that Ayeka could not bear again.

By the time dinner was ready, Ayeka had worked herself into a circular path of reasoning regarding Tenchi. On one hand, she knew she loved him very much. On the other, the last time she had loved someone as much as this he went away, never to return.

When Sasami called the second time for dinner, Ayeka shook her head quickly, trying to clear her mind of such troubling thoughts. It worked somewhat well, and she was able to present herself at the dinner table with a reasonably polite expression.

That polite expression, however, turned to dismay as she regarded her stomach after the meal. Sasami had outdone herself tonight; the meal she had prepared paled every other one she had ever cooked. That was the main reason Ayeka found herself dismayed, in fact. Not that she resented Sasami cooking so well, but the fact that she enjoyed it a little too much.

Resolutely ignoring several baited comments from Ryoko, Ayeka decided that she might as well try and walk some of her zeal before going to bed. So, when the rest of the family finished dinner and began disappearing to various points within the house on their own errands, Ayeka quietly informed Sasami that she was going for a walk and slipped outside.

The coolness of the air calmed Ayeka immediately. She did not realize that sometimes the house could get so stuffy, but then she supposed that after all the grilling and cooking Sasami did, the temperature would rise just a little bit.

At the end of the yard, two paths diverged, one leading towards the summit of the shrine mountain, and the other leading to the next valley over. Quickly deciding that the mountain path would be a bit quicker and scenic, Ayeka decided on the first one and trudged purposefully up the gentle incline.

It took almost a half an hour for her to reach the small plateau that had become her favorite destination during her walks. During the day, she could see for miles around the little valley that housed the Masaki shrine, but at night the view was ten times more spectacular. This trip did not disappoint her either.

The stars twinkled merrily at her as she sat down near the edge of the plateau and stared up at the scene before her. Secretly, Ayeka had always thought that one particular star was Jurai's primary sun itself. It was easily one of the more beautiful stars in the sky, a strange mix of red, twinkling to green, twinkling to yellow then back to red again. Unfortunately, she never quite got the courage to confirm her theory, it was better that Jurai remain the pretty star she thought it was, rather than become some mundane reality.

Ayeka sighed; she really missed her home sometimes. Although, she really considered Tenchi's house to be her home, and its inhabitants her family; there just was no substitute for Jurai's breathtaking beauty, nor the loving, if strange, family that was her mother and aunt. Maybe, just maybe it was time for her to visit. She knew her father would try to make her stay, but as always, he would capitulate. He never could deny the women that were so firmly in his heart, no matter what others thought.

"Ayeka-san?" a soft voice brought the princess abruptly from her musings, her thoughts instantly tossed aside upon its recognition.

"Tenchi-sama?" she asked, still not quite believing her luck to finally get him alone.

Seconds later, the earthling turned Juraian prince appeared in her direct line of vision, seating himself next to her.

"You like this place too, hunh?" he asked, after several minutes of silence.

"Yes, the view from this point is absolutely beautiful." Ayeka replied, shyly feeling a blush coming on. 

"Mmhmm." Was Tenchi's only reply, as he stared out at the little points of light.

Meanwhile Ayeka was having a major crisis within her mind. This was the chance she had been waiting for all along, but she couldn't quite get the words to form. Damn these inhibitions of hers!

"Ayeka? Is anything wrong?" Tenchi somehow detected the battle within her mind, and was totally confused by it. He wondered why she suddenly looked like she swallowed a lemon.

"T- Tenchi-sama, if I tell you something would you promise not to laugh?" This damn stutter was getting annoying as well, she mused and steeled herself to reveal everything she had so longed to tell him.

"Sure, Ayeka. I promise." Tenchi was now intrigued. What could she say, he thought, that he would react by laughing at her?

Slowly, and shakily, Ayeka told Tenchi about her dream, and what she thought about it. She hid nothing from him, even her small debate about going back to planet Jurai for a while.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say, Tenchi, is that I love you. More than I can bear sometimes, and..and that if I were to lose you, I really don't know what I'd do." Slowly Ayeka drew in a breath. That took more out of her than she could possibly have dreamed. All that was left now was his reaction.

It was a reaction that she had both dreamed about and feared.

Overcoming some of his shyness, Tenchi edged closer to Ayeka until he could put his arms around her shoulders and speak softly in her ear.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear that, Ayeka." He said, putting as much sincerity as he could into each syllable.

"However, there are things that just need to be worked out first. But I do know one thing for sure, and that is that I love you too."

Ayeka's breath caught in her throat. Those four little words were something that she dreamed of hearing but never quite thought possible. But before she could react any further, Tenchi continued.

"There's also feelings that I have to sort out by myself, Ayeka; before I can permit myself to get involved with anybody. I love every single person in our family, and I must segregate these feelings. I have to know whom I love romantically and whom I love as a friend. Right now the two are so nebulous that it would not be fair to anyone else for me to choose. Do you understand?"

Silently Tenchi prayed for her understanding.

Ayeka slowly nodded her head, a single tear drifting down her cheek. 

"But you love me, right?" Somehow, Ayeka had to hear it again, just to make sure it was said the first time.

Tenchi smiled.

"Yes, Ayeka, I love you very much. I also want you to know that no matter what you decide to do about Jurai, you will always have a home with us. Should you decide to go, also know that I'll be waiting for you to return; the family, myself particularly, is just not complete without our princess."

Tenchi softly caught her tear with his finger and then caressed her cheek, and finally leaned closer still.

"Don't take too long, Sasami will get worried." He said softly then kissed her gently on the cheek before getting up and heading in the direction from which he came.

Ayeka sat there for a few moments longer, reveling in the sensation his lips on her cheeks caused. Slowly a smile crept across her face as she breathed a silent thanks to Tsunami.

Back at the Masaki household, Sasami was just getting ready for bed when a soft smile inexplicably appeared on her face. Then, softly, as if it came from a great distance away, she thought she heard "you're welcome" being said by someone.

Sasami puzzled at that statement for a few seconds before drifting off to sleep, knowing somehow that someone just had their hearts desire fulfilled.

****

End

_Author's endnotes: Hello everyone! Well here's the final draft of my first fic. I really must thank Firebird for providing the official beta read and corrected version. You're the best Firebird! I also really must say a big thanks to all those people who took the time to review my story. You're positive feedback really helped a lot. Well, I suppose that's it. If you liked this story, please read my next one entitled "Infinite wills". It's a huge multi-parter and draft 2 of part 1 should be appearing within the next two weeks. Until next time, keep writing!_


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